Rita's Ramblings: a basically house-bound woman in Fargo, North Dakota blogging for friends, family, and anybody who finds it interesting. I talk about art or craft projects, my grandson (Ian), the weather, movies, books, health, and whatever happens to be going on in my life. Welcome!

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Been a titch over a week since I stopped by to say hello. We've had a lot of dark, cloudy days where they have predicted rain...and a few days where we actually got some light rain.

Good! They have had fire watches up here because it's so dry. Could use some downpours with thunder and lightning. (I do love thunderstorms.)****What have I been up to this past week? Mostly cutting pattern pieces...

...and working on the hall closet.

I just kept plugging away on both.

Look what I found in with my sewing stuff!

Does anyone remember troll dolls?**** Well, I found mine in the garage in one of my "Nostalgia" boxes. I had a small one (Juniper--named after the wild rabbit I managed to raise) and this larger one I named Bengie. (And I have my sister, Renee's, too, I believe.)

I gave him a good bath, dressed him in his cave man outfit, and he is now in with Ian's toys. Not sure he's going to like him, though. When I found Bengie in the garage Ian was scared of him.**** Note: the felt outfit was from the above McCall's troll clothes pattern--sewn by hand in junior high when I was about eleven. Bengie is about 55 years old and so is that pattern--LOL! You never know what you might find in my stash. I haven't even shown you the box of books from grade school yet, either. ****Anyways, stepping out on to my patio these are my views--left...

...center...

...right.

I still do have lots of sky, really. Just a different angle than when I used to live on third floor.****I finally finished cutting pattern pieces yesterday.

Leah was here for crafts on Tuesday and is coming back tonight. We wanted to try out some diaper liners (that's what's on top) so made a pattern, cut a couple pieces of zorb (an absorbent core fabric made in Canada), and did a water test. Not too much difference in how much water they could absorb, but the zorb did dry faster and was harder to wring out. So going to try making a couple of diaper liners and see how they work.

Leah had ordered some more Zorb II and some white micro fleece (SOOOO soft!) for wicking from a place called Wazoodle Fabrics online. (Don't you love that name?) They had the cheapest price for the Zorb we could find so we took a chance on this new company. Really impressed with how fast it came and the quality looks good. They are washed and ready to go.

I finished up in the hall closet. Now it only holds sewing supplies and two boxes of oil painting supplies...so far.

As you can see there is half a shelf left open--tada!!****I finished all the cutting of the pattern pieces we had ready to cut.

I can see my carpet again--LOL!

But in the studio...there are plastic bins...

...and banker boxes waiting to be filled.

This little closet will get an overhaul.

I've already shoved a couple containers in there--geez! I do that a lot. Need to put something away...see an empty spot...and shove. No wonder things get so chaotic so fast.

This closet will get completely pulled apart and reorganized. There's room for a couple more things in the hallway closet, too...and even on the garage shelves...thank goodness, eh? LOL!****So that's what I've been doing the past week. I'm down to one closet. Oh, and Annie needs a collar with her name and my phone number on it before she comes over, too. So it won't be too long. ****After the closet...Sew, sew,sew.****Today is the CCC group. I was too shot to make it down for the library on Tuesday and haven't had time to read, anyways. But today they have some lady coming from NDSD to talk about something or other, so I might try to make it down. Too shot to even work on zendalas, anyways. Last week I only popped down to say why I wasn't staying--LOL! This reorganizing stuff wears me right out and stiffens me right up--LOL! But I am nearing the end, anyways.****Leah is coming for crafts tonight. We need to layer up all the pads and pantyliners the way she wants so they are ready to sew. And Leah is working on a little organizer do-hickey for her purse, too. So nothing strenuous tonight. ;)****Oh--hurray! Just got a text wanting to know if I was up for a spontaneous visit?! From Ian and Leah--always!! Later!****“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.”

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

I slowly transferred the closet craft supplies into those new big plastic tubs from Costco.

I filled eight out of twelve...

...and stacked up all the sewing supplies in the living room.

Some of which came out of the studio closet.

Will be nice to have all the sewing stuff in one place. Now I have more room in the studio closet, too!

****

On Mother's Day McFamily and Leah's brother, Aaron (in the red shirt), came to rearrange the garage now that the Paseo was towed away.

Leah was the supervisor for the large Valley Con stuff of theirs that I am storing and the bigger stuff.

Ian was watching with Gramma and eating craisins.

Then I went through the shelves--boxes--most of which hadn't even even been untaped since the move in August of 2015--to decide what to move where, which things could be tossed, and which could be moved to the give away pile. It was hot! 80 degrees! We made a lot of room for all the tubs in the apartment...

****

...which were finally hauled out! And my fans were brought in--nice!

Even the four empty tubs, too. (I went out to transfer more of the boxed stuff into those on Monday.)

The hall closet is ready to be filled.

Here sits the stuff to be transferred into new boxes, labeled, and moved...still looks the same today--LOL!

Yes, I am sick of these old boxes which have been written on, scratched out, and written on again--banged up--taped and retaped. I did save the boxes in the best shape for inside, but they all have to go. I do eventually want to have clear plastic bins inside, too. Just can't afford it right now. But that's okay. The plastic bins in the garage are a decade's old dream come true. My impatience is showing--LOL!

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While I worked--the scent of roses wafted through the living room and dining room.

But I have to say I have never seen anything like this one rose and how it is drying up!?

Can you see the three separate petals that are completely brown? One is even on the inside!

Really strange.

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Anyways, these are the "after" garage pictures.

Since I'll just have one borrowed car at any time...

...we could just store stuff all around the sides and I still have a ton of room to park in the middle.

After I was out there Monday and got rid of some more old boxes, I knew for sure that I still needed a few more tubs to finish the job.

I went through the smaller cat stuff, too, and brought in what I would need for Annie. (Too hot and tired on Sunday.)

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Starting to really look like I am expecting cat company, eh?

Leah was at Costco Monday and Aaron was with to help carry. They picked up some new cheap banker boxes for me!

And in the garage are some more big storage tubs and potting soil--but I haven't been out to move any more stuff yet. I totally reached a wall yesterday--been on R&R (rest & recovery). Leah was running late and cancelled craft night last night--which turned out just fine because then I ended up in bed early. Was nice and chilly last night, too, so I slept well. Not sure if I am off R&R yet, though. Doesn't appear to be a supple, energetic day so far, shall we say--LOL!

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Caroline came to clean yesterday. Been dark and damp...with occasional drizzle. We really need some pouring rain. Been so dry they've had fire watches in the area.

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Oh, I had to laugh! Dagan told me that Ian forgot to talk to him about the garbage truck fire when he got home that day but remembered as soon as he woke up--so at 5:30 in the morning he was telling sleepy Daddy about the garbage truck, the fire, cans exploding, and the firemen eventually saving the day. :)

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And when they came over he got his little toy garbage truck out and wanted to hear the story again. He loves it! It has everything--danger, suspense, humor, explosions (what guy doesn't like explosions), and the firemen save the day in the end. Sure glad I remembered that. And--yes--Dagan remembered that adventure, too--LOL!

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When they left Ian kissed my "baby belly"--ROFL! I told him I just look like I have a baby belly but mine is just belly--LOL! He kissed Daddy's and Aaron's baby bellys, too. If he is asked what is in Mama's belly he says, "my little sibling". But we don't think he actually understands what this is all about.

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He also knows that Annie is going to come over to my house because Annie is lonesome for Sammy and Gramma is lonesome for Karma. Won't be long now. I just have to finish the closets inside here. :) :)

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Leah will try to make it over tomorrow for Craft Night. I will try to make it to CCC tomorrow afternoon to work on zendalas and socialize a little. But, for right now, this tired, crackling old body is heading for my big comfy chair. Plan to work on letters. I think I owe about half a dozen right now. Been busy...but today is a perfect day for paper and pen, I think. ;)

Friday, May 12, 2017

Our guys came on Monday again this year. And the mowers for the apartment complex I see out my window came on Wednesday instead of Friday like last year. Curious--our guys mow on our side of the sidewalk and their guys have always mowed on their side. Maybe this is a new outfit? I certainly don't pay enough attention to know if any of them are the same gentlemen.

They did have a maniac weed-whipper guy chopping the heck out of the edge of the grass all along the sidewalk on their side--dirt and grass flying...

...but they never mowed that stretch of grass? LOL!

Well, the dandelions love it.

I finally tried out my new breadmaker now that I can see to read the instructions--LOL! These 2-lb loaves are huge!!

I drug out these old Noodler's pens that frustrated the heck out of me years ago to the point I cleaned them and stashed them away. Wanted to see why.

I remembered.

The blue and red ones are his first flex nibs, I believe, and because of these pens I thought I never wanted to try flex writing again. When I'd try to press and release as I wrote--just blobs and ink still coming out too fast most of the time to even get thin lines.

****

But...lately I have been wanting to try to learn brush lettering--which is the same concept of thick and thin. I'm having better luck with markers and brush pens. ;) These Noodler's pens will probably get cleaned and stashed away again. Like I say--life is too short.

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Yesterday was a busy day. I went to CCC (coffee, coloring, and conversation) here in the community room at 1:30pm. I am bringing zendalas to work on every week and plan to for the foreseeable future. Been such fun to play with these again! I think I am close to done with this first one now this week. I am really liking it in the black and white so not planning to color this one. Will probably start a new one next week. :)

Then I got back home just in time for the tow truck. Leah, Ian, and her bother, Aaron, came over. Since we had run a charger on the Paseo over night and it wouldn't even turn over we didn't know how they were going to get it out of the garage. Aaron came with in case there was pushing or lifting help needed.

****

The guy said he had some kind of super charger and he shocked the old girl to life long enough to back her out of the garage! She stunk and her tires were very low, but he backed her out and hooked her up. Ian was transfixed!! I took a little video. Our chatterbox was a bit stunned and contemplative. ;)

After I saw the video...there is some cat supplies in the garage and I wondered if he could see Karma's cat toys? I'll have to look when I'm out there next time. But he was obviously thinking about Karma.

****

They came in for a short while so Ian could play with his toys at Gramma's for a bit. Ian has a toy garbage truck. I told him to ask his daddy about the time we were living in Green Bay when his daddy was about 10 or 11 years old and a smoking garbage truck was trying to make it to the dump down the highway from us...but flames started shooting out the back so the garbageman quick dumped the entire burning load on the side of the road right in front of our house. (We lived outside of town on a couple acres.)

****

Flames were shooting up, smelly plastic soot was floating everywhere, hot cans were exploding and shooting way up over the treetops. The grass in the ditch started on fire. We were afraid for the trees lining the highway and even the roof of our house that was set back from the road because of the rocketing red hot cans shooting off in every direction.

****

Finally the fire truck arrived. They parked, rolled out the huge hose, the fireman braced himself, told them to turn it on, and a small trickle of water came out the nozzle! Despite the fear of the fire--hey! That was hysterically funny! So, they wound up the hose and took off to fill up with water. They did make it back in time to drench the trees, the ditch, and that huge smelly pile of garbage. They had to hang around for quite a while while they spread out trash and doused more flames that popped up. Then the whole sopping mess had to be shoveled into another truck and hauled away.

****

Was quite exciting! I can't imagine Dagan wouldn't remember that burning garbage truck event. I told Ian to ask Daddy about it. I'll have to ask Dagan, myself, if he remembers. ;) They might be back this weekend to work on moving things around in the garage.

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Anyways, they went home for dinner and then Leah came back later for craft night. She surprised me with some paper she bought and a few rolls of washi tape, too! (Already put the washi tapes away). More Christmas and birthday card paper!! Some other papers, too. Sweet! (This isn't all of them.)

We worked some more on the sewing project. Leah's getting to the end of tracing the pad and liner patterns and now I could finally start cutting them out--tada!! I do have to go slower than I used to because of the wonky eye, but that's fine. I'll probably be sewing slower also. Adaptation is a good thing. :)

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We stack and pile after we're done each time. Looks chaotic, but I now have a better idea of which piles go together so I can do some cutting while I watch TV at night, too. Nice!

This morning...

I got a knock on the door...beautiful Mother's Day yellow-orange roses!!

Gorgeous!

They're already opening up!

McFamily is so good to me. They literally reaffirm my belief in humanity and God and hope for this world. Have a wonderful weekend and for those of you celebrating Mother's Day--good memories or make some--LOL! Keep in mind that families are or can be created with love.

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Life is good!! :) :)

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"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs. The ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what."

-unknownP.S. I have no idea why the font is weird in portions of this post. Tried to fix it and couldn't. Doesn't show until I post. So, you can thank Blogger for the variety. ;) ;)